1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a composite form including a carrier component of paper or other nor-magnetic material and a magnetic component connected thereto whereby the magnetic component and the carrier component may be initially and subsequently imprinted individually and sequentially in automated feeding without carrying additional forms stacked-thereon, into the infeed site of the printer. The magnetic component includes a card portion which is separable from the carrier component for further use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Flexible magnetic material has been available for a variety of uses, and provides a convenient way to display information or attach papers to surfaces such as iron, steel, nickel or the like and,capable of magnetic connection. Such uses have included business cards and xe2x80x9crefrigerator magnetsxe2x80x9d where the flexible magnetic material has been capable of holding paper to a steel surface. Further, paper overlays have been adhesively attached to flexible magnetic backings to provide calendars or perforated redeemable coupons.
These uses of flexible magnetic material have met with certain limitations. While generally capable of imprinting by itself, the flexible magnetic material has not been provided in such a way as to provide for imprinting as an integrated component of a composite element or form. Thus, when paper overlays or the like have been provided with the flexible magnetic material, they have been separately printed and then attached. Moreover, magnetic attraction between the cards and the steel components of printing presses causes the magnetic cards to interfere with the feeding and printing processes of ordinary desktop printers like laser jet printers and ink jet printers.
The present invention provides improved capabilities for the use of magnetic cards by the incorporation of the magnetic card into a composite business form. This not only increases the convenience of distribution of the cards, but permits complemental printing on the magnetic cards and a carrier component of a non-magnetic material with specific information for the recepient when the form is printed. By facilitating the customization of the magnetic card, incorporation of the card into a business form, and securing the magnetic material to a carrier component of the business form, the objects of achieving a high rate of printing, customized printing by the user of both the carrier component and the flexible magnetic component, and convenience to the end user are achieved. No longer need the magnetic component be separately imprinted from the non-magnetic carrier component, both when initial printing is done at the time of manufacturing and when recipient-specific information is printed on each form.
Broadly speaking, the present invention provides a composite form which includes a sheet of non-magnetic material such as plastic, cardboard, paper or the like to provide a carrier component and magnetic component of a normally thicker sheet of magnetic material which is connected to the carrier component. All or a part of the magnetic component may be provided as a card or other component which may be separated from the form along a separation line, which as used herein includes die cuts, perforation lines and score lines. Preferably, the magnetic material is positioned and connected so that at least one edge or side, or alternatively all of the edges of the magnetic material have the carrier component extending therefrom. In some of the embodiments hereof, the magnetic component is inlaid into and thus surrounded by the carrier component, whereby no edges of the magnetic material are exposed beyond the margins of the paper component. The carrier component may include multiple sheets of paper, film or metallic foil in overlying relationship to provide labels or carbonless transfer components to provide multiple plies, or may be of a single thickness. The magnetic material may include lines of weakness such as score lines or perforations, or lines of separation to separate the magnetic material into subparts which may be separated from one another. Because the magnetic component normally has a greater thickness than the carrier component, the attachment therebetween may include not only joining the sheets by overlapping, but also beveling or skiving the magnetic component along the margin adjacent to the carrier component to facilitate feeding the form through a printer for providing customized indicia thereon. In addition, the magnetic component may be positioned within the margins of the carrier component so that it is in an inlaid orientation with respect to the carrier component.
As a result, the composite form hereof is provided in an extremely useful configuration for business applications. The composite form may be used as a business form for custom imprinting on a printer, such as a laser or ink jet printer to which printing, colors or designs may be printed on the form to customize its use for different recipients. The placement and manner of attachment of the magnetic sheet to the business form greatly facilitates the subsequent printing of both the carrier component and the magnetic component. Especially beneficial is the arrangement and construction of the magnetic material, and its magnetic configuration, which retains the ability of the magnetic material to be retained on a ferromagnetic surface such as iron, nickel or cobalt, without improperly carrying of more than one form at a time into the infeed site of the printer. Moreover, the magnetic component may be configured for separation into subcomponents for alternative uses, such as a support for a calendar and a separate magnetic card by the provision of selective lines of weakening. Finally, the carrier component may be imprinted for use as an invoice or the like, or provided with labels with pressure sensitive adhesive whereby alternate labels may be placed on the magnetic component, thereby providing a form which has its carrier component complemental to the magnetic component.